This report looks at trends since 1997, uniquely combining several data sources to give the most comprehensive view available on how patterns in access to higher education have changed in the years between 1997 and 2022. A major study of higher education trends over the past 25 years reveals persistent access gaps for disadvantaged students,…

Access to higher education begins with a student's decision whether and where to apply to college. This paper examines racial and ethnic differences in college application behavior of high school graduates, using two recent graduation cohorts from Texas. We estimate racial and ethnic differences in the probability of applying to college,…

Federal financial aid was established under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Since then, changes to the act have increased funding and expanded eligibility for students accessing federal financial aid. While the distribution of federal financial aid has expanded over the last 60 years, untapped financial resources remain every year because…

This paper maps the main dimensions of differentiation among institutions and "faculties" (subject areas within institutions) of higher education in the United Kingdom. It does so through a principal components analysis based on the characteristics of applicants and entrants. A single status dimension accounts for a quarter of the…

The perception of college affordability and financing is a grim one, fueled by the very real rising costs of higher education, as well as media coverage of how much students and their families are borrowing. While this perception is understandable given the realities of paying for college, how do students and parents feel about the process of…

This report provides a snapshot of statistics from academic year 2016-17 related to students at UK higher education institutions and the income and expenditure of these institutions. The statistics reviewed include universities' research activity, student employability, and information on international students and staff. ?????Highlights include:…

A nationally representative sample of high school students is used to examine where students go for college information and how those information sources affect the number of schools to which students apply. Results show that Latino/a students are least likely to access college sources and have applied to the fewest number of schools. Among…

Previous research suggested that candidates from some black and minority ethnic groups were less likely to receive an offer of a place from an "old" university. These findings were disputed in a re-analysis carried out for HEFCE which found that only Pakistani candidates were significantly less likely to receive offers (from both…

This article first draws together a range of published statistics to analyse trends in participation in higher education in the UK over recent years. That provides evidence of the shifting profile in the student population and sets a context for examining emerging evidence of the impact of recent government policy decisions on control of student…

This paper discusses the policy environment in which data on race and ethnicity of college applicants are collected through a history of the federal collection of racial data, the current status of racial data collection, and the processes that led to current and proposed data collection requirements. The impact of recent changes in reporting…

In order to understand the roles of test scores and diversity characteristics (including race and ethnicity) in the admission process, National Board researchers interviewed admissions directors who worked at selective public and private institutions are well as admissions consultants in the summer and fall of 1999. This report presents an…

This report examines the policies and practices of Illinois public colleges and universities in the admission of undocumented residents as well as the nature of the participation of rapidly increasing race/ethnic groups in higher education and strategies to increase their participation. The 2000 U.S. Census showed that the Hispanic population of…